Coffee is the world’s second most traded commodity. Some like it, some love it, some live for it. Not surprisingly, Penang - like the rest of the world - can't get enough of the stuff. But the tricky thing with coffee is knowing where the good beans lie. There is nothing worse that a bitter, burnt blend.
Kaffa Espresso Bar, a Kuala Lumpur based vintage themed coffee bar, today launched its second outlet in Penang. The bar also unveiled its art gallery, featuring an art collection by Rofizano Zaino (Rofi) along with a demonstration of the art of coffee cupping, showcased by Coffee Sommelier, Claudio Pinto from Italy.
Speaking at the launch event, Dr. Darren Ng, Group Managing Director of Kaffa Espresso Bar said, “Most people perceive an espresso bar as just another coffee place with a cool name. However, it is so much more than that. It is the distinct yet subtle concept of the connection between coffee and art behind it that gives it the wow factor.”
“Since coffee beans embody tell-tale flavours from the region where they were grown, cuppers can attempt to identify the coffee’s origin,” said Pinto.
If you ask someone out for a coffee, the chance of them suggesting Kaffa as the location is high. You'll find an interesting mix of people getting about at Kaffa. Plus, it has a cozy, dimly lit café/restaurant out the back for when you’re looking to sit and enjoy a warm beverage in style.
Rofi, a graphic designer and self-taught painter has also been featured in the inaugural Singapore Art Exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum.
Rofi enjoys painting faces and figures. More than mere portraits, the faces in his paintings are metaphors for personifying issues relating to identity, society, spirituality and sociopolitical affairs. In the Asian world, the concept of face embodies dignity, honour and reputation. By extension, the face idiomatically conveys a map of one’s life.
The art gallery, aptly named ‘The Imaginarium’, is a 700 square feet space which opened its doors with an art exhibition titled ‘Psyche’ by renowned international artist, Rofi, who has had his work showcased in many major cities around the globe such as New York, Amsterdam, Shanghai and many more.
If the eyes are a window to one’s soul, then the expression, the smile, the slight twitch of the nose, the hair casting a shadow – the symmetry or lack thereof – does more to reveal the lives and stories within, going beyond face value.
In this show, Rofi embarks on a psychological study of the face. He paints faces of people caught in a myriad of circumstances, metaphorically conveying a man struggling in stormy seas, a society oppressed, a woman empowered and the courage of a community.
If you've been to Kaffa once, you'll be back again. The staff are lovely and welcoming and the coffee isn’t overpriced. If you love good coffee and good people, Kaffa may be your new favourite place.
Kaffa Espresso Bar will be opening another two more outlets by year end. One at Bandar Sri Damansara in Kuala Lumpur and the other will be at the Penang International Airport.
Address: 22, Green Hall 10200 Penang
Tel: 042622822